Strangers Upon Thee
by secretaryofsillywalks
Summary: In which Lily has an epiphany. James/Lily if you squint. oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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She stood there, her toes at the edge of the freezing water. She must have looked ridiculous in a pair of stockings with the feet cut off and her shirt collar popped and the silly little tie starting to come undone under her red and gold scarf that was frayed and ragged, and her skirt rolled so much the fabric bulged from her sides- because that was the way everyone wore it those days. She did not care. She did not care for much anymore.

She stared out into the dark lake, silently plotting her course. She could not swim to the opposite shore – she couldn't even see the other side of the lake; plus, she didn't want to run into the giant squid. Not today. She sighed. She tossed her scarf aside and pulled her hair up into a messy bun.

She stepped further into the lake, the water burning her skin, only the rising sun keeping her warm. She thought about turning back. She thought about snuggling back up into her warm bed. She dismissed the thoughts. She was here, at six in the morning, for a reason. She wanted to be alone. So she would. For some reason she could not bring herself to return to the shoreline. Instead she watched the little fish splash around in the water and catch the miniature bugs and listened to the soft mournful cry of the loons.

She was so absorbed in watching the fish in the eerie, deep, black lake that she did not notice anyone approaching until they had blocked the sun from reaching her back. She turned and looked at the person beside her. He was fairly ordinary looking – not forgettable but ordinary. The red of the sun created a fiery halo around his unruly hair, making him look more saint like than should have been possible. The boy smiled slightly and dropped his cloak onto the sand.

She watched with detached interest as the boy's smile grew into that sloppy, roguish grin boys get when they are up to no good. She began to wonder what the boy was up to, grinning like that - If he had jinxed her hair or killed her cat. She watched as his grin faltered and she wondered if it was because she had begun to sneer. If that was the reason, she did not care much.

The boy began to fiddle with his pair of glasses. He looked as if he wished to say something, but could not bring himself to. "Your vest," the boy finally began, "Your vest, it's on backwards."

She stared at him and him at her. Slowly she began to laugh. A real laugher, a kind she had not done in a long time. He laughed too. They laughed louder and louder until their laughter echoed across the lake and caused the loons to pause in their song. It was the kind of laughter that, if they had been in a more populated area, would have caused nosey neighbors to peek through their shabby lace curtains and the fishermen to look up in surprise .The girl did not care.

She did not know why she had begun to laugh, all that she knew now was that she laughed for those who could no longer laugh or love or cry. Her Uncle who loved telling jokes and she would never see again; for her baby cousin who would never know her mother; for her grandfather who admired Groucho Marx and loved to polka.

Most of all she laughed because of the irony. She finally realized, thanks to something as insignificant as a vest, the enormity of it all. Their lives were changed forever. They were no longer innocent school children – they were fighting a civil war.

In that single instant she saw the universe as it truly was. She finally understood the simplicity and complexity, the cruelness and kindness of the world. She wanted to cry, but her laughter held back the tears. In a single heartbeat, everything had been put in perspective and she knew it would be okay, eventually. She knew what she would have to do, though, and who would be by her side. The loons started to cry once more.

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**a/n: Something different, eh. What did you think? What did you get out of it - as in, a deeper meaning? ****reviews and concrit are welcome! thanks.**


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